FPL Gameweek 37: Captain picks
By Holly Shand
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The captaincy headaches continue in FPL as we reach another double gameweek. The motivation for some sides comes under question as the league winners could be sewn up as early as Saturday.
So who are the top picks?
Erling Haaland vs Chelsea (H) & Brighton (A)
A double gameweek for the best player in the Premier League is ordinarily a no-brainer for captaincy with Haaland already on 44 attacking returns this season from 33 appearances. City could secure the title if Arsenal fail to beat Nottingham Forest on Saturday or Sunday if they beat Chelsea at home.
The risk is that Pep Guardiola could choose to rotate for the trip to Brighton with the focus then turning to securing a historic triple with looming FA Cup and Champions League finals. Minutes are a risk for Haaland in this case but beware; he scored a brace in the reverse fixture against Brighton for 13 points.
Haaland will go into this weekend as the overwhelming captain favourite, perhaps with some late triple captain chips in play. Give him the armband to protect rank and hold ground in the remaining weeks, especially if you have a mini league lead. But if you are chasing, don’t be afraid to consider the alternatives.
Bruno Fernandes vs Bournemouth (A) & Chelsea (H)
For those managers looking for a captaincy differential, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes fits that bill with a double gameweek and the form to match. United clearly have motivation as they look to secure a top four finish, with Liverpool among the sides hot on their heels.
Fernandes barely misses a minute in the Premier League, consistently playing 90 minutes and so 180 minutes across the two games looks secure. He’s playing in his favoured number ten role in recent games and he has the advantage of spot-kicks too.
His attacking returns have been down in recent games but he’s been unlucky with 28 shots since the international break, including hitting the woodwork on multiple occasions. He’s created 12 big chances in that time but only taken two assists - his teammates need to get better at finishing!
An honourable mention here has to go to Marcus Rashford who would have been front and centre of the captaincy conversation if it wasn’t for the leg injury which kept him out of the win against Wolves last weekend. He is the form man since the FPL restart but the lack of guarantee of minutes is enough for me to look elsewhere.
